Golf practice device



July 17, 1956 J. R. HARA GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 23. 1953 INVENTOR James A. Hard ATTORNEYS July 17, 1956 J. R. HARA 2,755,091

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Oct. 25. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR James R. Ha/w ATTORNEYS y 1956 I J. R. HARA 2,755,091

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Oct. 23, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR James R. Ham

ATTORNEYS United States Patent GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE James R. Hara, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application October 23, 1953, Serial No. 387,974

11 Claims. (Cl. 273-496) This invention relates to a golf practice device, and particularly to a device adapted to control and teach proper body movements during a golf stroke.

The apparatus comprises generally means for engaging and guiding the pelvic region or hips of the golfer to enforce pivotal movements around a single generally upright axis.

The apparatus generally comprises a ring or annular structure in which the golfer stands and an upstanding guide having means for engagement with the golfers pelvic region, which upstanding guide is pivotally mounted on the annular frame for rotary movements about an axis located generally along the golfers spine. During swinging movements the golfers hips are thus confined substantially to rotary movement about the single axis, which is generally considered the proper golf swing. Means are also provided on the apparatus for giving a recognizable signal at the instant the golfer is supposed to uncock his wrists and stroke the club head through the position of the golf ball lying on the ground. The signalling means referred to is actuated by cooperating parts on the stationary frame and rotating guide means. The apparatus further includes a construction wherein the signalling means referred to further offers temporary resistance to rotation of the guiding means whereby a momentary restraint is forcibly applied to the golfers hips to enforce a pause in his pivotal movements at the instant he is supposed to hit the golf ball. The apparatus is so constructed that a golfer using the same, While being secured to the guiding means, is still free to stoop forwardly to tee a second or additional golf ball in position to be hit. The guiding means engaged with the golfers body do not prevent such stooping motions but are at all times efiective to guide and control pivotal movements.

The apparatus further includes a head holding means to hold the golfers head in fixed position during the swing and to permit free and unimpeded back swing movements of his shoulders.

The apparatus further includes resilient means resisting pivotal movements of the hip guiding means during the back swing, thus simulating the ideal conditions in a properly executed stroke wherein the golfers left hip should at all times tend to lag and pull back during the back swing. This result is accomplished by a spring actuated reel having a cable attached to a movable portion of the guiding structure whereby the spring of the reel is tensioned during back swing movements.

The apparatus further is provided with a guiding edge at the front thereof extending parallel to the intended direction of flight of the golf ball. That guiding edge extends from approximately the position of the ball on the ground in the direction of flight and serves as a guide to indicate the proper follow through movement of the club head.

The hip guiding structure, while being mounted for rotation about a generally upright axis, comprises a belt or the like to be strapped to the golfers pelvic region and to substantially rigidly fix the hips to a control carice riage mounted for sliding movement along a vertical trackway carried by the rotary guide means but permitting some tilting of the hips about an axis radial to the upright axis. The vertical trackway is in turn pivoted to the rotary guide about a horizontal axis extending generally parallel to the golfers hips whereby he may freely stoop or bend forwardly to adjust or replace a golf ball on a tee.

Since a golfer employing the practice device may perform all of the necessary movements to prepare for succeeding practice strokes, it is unnecessary to have an assistant or attendant present and the golfer may practice by himself.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mechanical apparatus adapted to teach the proper body movements necessary for a correctly executed golf swing.

It is another object of this invention to provide mechanical means for teaching the proper golf swing by controlling hip movements only.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device arranged to control body movements and to provide appropriate signal means to indi cate the time for executing certain movements with the hands and wrists.

A further object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device as set forth above and including restraining means to restrain the hips at the proper instant at which the club head should be lashed through the ball position.

A still furter object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device adapted to positively control certain body movements during a practice swing but permitting other body movements for teeing a ball and preparing for a subsequent practice stroke.

An additional object of this inventionis to provide a novel golf practice device for teaching a correct golf swing which device may be employed without the services of an assistant or attendant.

Still further and additional objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through the vertical trackway and taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substan-. tially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1 illustrating the signalling means in somewhat schematic form;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus illustrating the ease with which a golfer may stoop to tee or adjust a golf ball on the ground, with certain parts of the apparatus omitted;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 77 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8. is a schematic side view, on a much reduced scale, illustrating a possible adjustment of the apparatus Fig, 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a suitable spooling reel employed with a device embodying the present invention.

Throughout the several views the same tified by the same reference numerals.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is provided a base supparts are iden-- port or frame provided with a generally T-shaped base having lateral legs 10' and a forwardly extending. leg; 12. Each of the legs may be provided at their ends: with suitable rollers or casters 14. to facilitate movement and/ or transportation of the device to and from a position of use. An upstanding hollow post 16 is rigidly attached at its lower end to the T-frame and extends generally vertically upwardly therefrom. The hollow post 16 accommodates a vertically extending rod 18 telescoped therein and which may be held in vertically adjusted position by means of a suitable clamp screw 20.

At its upper end the rod 18 is provided with an angularly adjustable fitting 22 pivoted to the rod 18 on a horizontal axis 24 and adapted for pivotal movement thereabout to change the angle of its tubular portion 26 with respect to the rod 18. The fixture 22 may be held in adjusted angular position by a suitable clamp screw 28 and the tubular guide 26 slidably receives a supporting rod 30 adjustably held therein by a clamping screw 32. A pivotally adjustable arm 34 is carried by the forward end of the supporting rod 36 and pivotaily supports a suitable head engaging cap or holding member 36. The supporting rod 30, arm 34, and head engaging member 36 are of a type well known in the prior art and need not be further described. However, the present apparatus does include such elements adjustably carried thereby to enable adjustment to fit a golfer of any stature and adjustable to conform to different stances.

The upstanding hollow post 16 is surrounded, adjacent its lower end, by a slidable collar 40 held in adjusted position thereon by a clamping screw 42. Welded or otherwise fixed to the collar 40 are forwardly extending cars 38 (see Fig. 4) carrying pivot pin 39. A block 43 on transverse plate 41 is pivotally supported by the pin 39. The block 43 may be an integral projection on plate 41. Integrally formed with plate 41, or otherwise rigidly fixed thereto, are forwardly diverging arms 44, 46 and 48 which are in turn welded or otherwise secured at their outermost ends to an annular outer frame structure 50 (Fig. 1). Referring also to Fig. 2, the annular frame 50 is of generally L-shape in vertical section and is provided with circumferentially spaced downwardly extending studs or bosses 52 to which short lengths of tubing 54 are secured by pins 56 or the like. Telescopically received within the lower ends of the tubes 54 are adjustable ground engaging foot members having horizontal flanges 58 and ground penetrating points 60. The foot members are adjustable in the tubes 54 and may be held in adjusted position therein by means of suitable clamping screws 61.

By the arrangement thus far described, it will be apparent that the T-frame may be moved to the desired position for practice and the collar 40 may be vertically and angularly adjusted relative to the hollow post 16 and frame 50 may be tilted about pin 39 to the desired position and thereafter the supporting feet of the annular frame may be lowered to such an extent as to force the points 60 thereof into the ground until the flanges 58 engage the surface of the ground to fix the annular frame at the desired height and angle of tilt while relieving the vertical post 16 of the weight thereof. As shown in Figs. 1 through 7, the frame 50 is positioned horizontally but it is intended that the tilt thereof about pin 39 be such that the axis of the annular frame be tilted from the vertical by an amount sufficient to cause that axis to substantially coincide with the users spine when that person assumes his or her normal stance. Such adjustment is shown schematically in Fig. 8 where line A--A indicates the tilted axis. Different golfers, even though each may have a correct swing, assume somewhat different stances with the upper body portion bent forwardly through different angles. Regardless of the degree of inclination of the golfers spine during address, the correct pivot axis for his or her swing lies substantially along the spine. Throughout the specification and in the claims, reference to a generally horizonta frame or the like is intended to include the tilted position of the frame as described above and shown in Fig. 8. Also, reference to a generally upright axis is intended to include a truly vertical axis and also an axis slightly inclined to the vertical as shown at A-A in Fig. 8.

It may be, in many instances, that the angle of tilt required to properly position the frame 50 is sufiiciently great that the adjustable feet 58 in tubes 54 may not offer a sufficiently great range. In such instances it is contemplated that the tubes 54 and the shank portions of the feet 58 at the rear of the frame be considerably longer than those at the front portion of the frame. It is also within the scope of this invention to mount the tubes 54 on the frame 50 for angular adjustment to permit the supporting feet to extend vertically downward from a tilted frame 50. Furthermore, the supporting feet prevent lateral sliding or rotary movements of the frame 50 with respect to the ground and therefore hold the T-frame and post 16 in fixed position.

Still referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the annular frame 50 is provided with suitable rollers 62 on its inner periphery. Any suitable number of rollers 62 are provided and are spaced circumferentially about the inner periphery of the annular frame member 50. As shown in Fig. 2, the rollcrs 62 are frusto-conical, tapering inwardly, and are mounted for rotation on horizontal axes generally radial to the frame 50. An inner annular rotary ring 64 is positioned within the periphery of the annular frame 50 with its outer surface closely adjacent the inner surface of the frame 50. The rotary ring 64 is provided with a circumferential groove 66 having inwardly converging top and bottom surfaces, the top surface 68 of which constitutes a trackway engaging the conical surface of the rollers 62 for support and guidance thereby. The annular ring 64 is thus rotatably supported by the frame 50 for rotation about their common generally upright axis.

The diameters of the frame 50 and ring 64 are such that a person may stand on the ground within the ring 64 and have sufficient freedom of movement therein to select a comfortable position for his feet, preferably with his heels on opposite sides of the leg 12 of the T-frame.

The inner periphery of the ring 64 is provided with circumferentially spaced fixed bosses or projections 69 carrying axially aligned trunnions 70. Bushings 72 are rotatably mounted on the aligned trunnions 70 for simultaneous rotation about a common axis extending chordally across the rear portion of the ring 64. A pair of upwardly extending brace rods 74 have their lowermost ends fixed to the bushings 72 and extend generally upwardly and rearwardly therefrom to the uppermost end of a generally vertical trackway 76. The upper ends of the brace rods 74 may be fixed in any suitable manner to the uppermost end of the trackway 76. The lower end of the trackway 76 is supported by an arch member 78 having its laterally spaced lowermost ends also suitably fixed to the bushings 72. Thus it will be seen that the rods 74, track 76 and arch member 78 form a rigid braced structure capable of pivotal movements about the axis of trunnions 70, which axis is in turn freely rotatable about the upright axis of the annular frame 50 and rotatable ring 64.

Referring now to Fig. 3 along with Fig. l, the trackway 76 is shown as a single member having opposed edges 80 defining the guiding surfaces of the trackway. As shown in the drawings, a carriage is mounted for vertical movement along the trackway 76 and comprises generally a boxlike carriage structure having open top and bottom and defined by side walls 82 and 84 and end walls 86 and 88. The side and end walls may be fixedly secured together by any suitable means and the box or carriage is provided with two pairs of rollers 90 mounted therein on suitable axles 92. The pairs of rollers engage the opposed surfaces 80 of the trackway 76 for rolling movement therealong and are provided with flanges 94 engaging the side faces of the trackway 76 whereby the carriage is guided for vertical movement along the trackway but is prevented from tilting about any horizontal attach axis relative to the trackway 76 and is prevented from rotating around the trackway about its longitudinal axis.

The side walls 82 and 84 of the carriageextend forwardly at their lowermost corners to define ears 96 (Fig. 1) between which the lower edge of a plate 98' is pivoted on a horizontal axis generally parallel to the axes of the rollers 94). The pivoted plate 93 has a plate 97 pivoted thereto by a pin 99 to the upper'and lower edges of which rigid curved members 100 are fixed and a belt or the like 162 is fixed to the curved members 100.

The members 100 and the belt 102 are shown in phantom line in Fig. 1 to facilitate illustration of the carriage structure.

The belt 102 may be of any desired construction or form but is preferably relatively wide and flexible and may have buckles 104 and straps 106 secured thereon whereby the belt may be placed around and secured to the pelvic region of the user and thus fixedly hold the pelvic region and hips of the user in fixed relation to the pivoted plate 98. Since the pivoted plate 98 cannot rotate about a vertical axis independently of the carriage or trackway 76, it will be obvious that the pelvic region and hips of the user cannot rotate about any vertical axis independently of the ring 64. Since the "ring 64 is confined to rotation about a single vertical axis, the users hips are, therefore, confined to rotary movements about that same vertical axis.

The belt 102, being secured to the members 100, which in turn are pivotally adjustable about the axis of pin 99, thus does not confine the pelvic region of the user to a fixed horizontal position but permits a slight tilting thereof about the axis of pin 99. Such tilting has been found to be necessary to permit one hip to rise slightly higher than the other when the weight of the user is transferred to or from one leg or the other. It is preferred, however, that the tilt provided by pin 99 be limited to a relatively small angle. To this end the plate 97 is provided with an arcuate slot 101 concentric to the pin 99 and a pin 103 is fixed to plate 98 and projects into the arcuate slot 101. Thus the pin 103 limits the angular movement of plate 97 to the desired extent and thus prevents the user from swaying to an improper degree.

Rather than rely on the pivotal connection between the plate 98 and the sides 82 and 84 of the carriage to insure "concurrent rotation of those members, the device is provided with further means to prevent distortion or independent rotation between plate 98 and the carriage. To this end a pair of rods 108 are respectively pivoted, on horizontal axes, to opposite edges of the plate 98- and extend slidably through longitudinal bores in guide blocks 110. The guide blocks 110 are pivoted to the sides 82 and 84- respectively of the carriage about horizontal axes at 112. It will be apparent that the rods 108 and blocks 110 thus further assist in preventing distortional relative movements about a vertical axis between plate 98 and the carriage. The apparatus is preferably provided with a tension spring 114- extending between the side 84 of the carriage and an edge of the plate 98 and serves to normally hold the plate 98 in abutment with the end wall 38 of the carriage during all pivotal movements of the apparatus occasioned by a practice swing by the golfer. The purpose for horizontal pivotal movement between the plate 98 and the carriage will be described later.

Referring now only to Fig. l, the annular frame 50 is formed with a horizontal forwardly extending plate or flange 116 adjacent its upper edge and extending from about its forwardmost portion laterally of the apparatus. The flange or plate 116 may be integrally formed with the frame ring 50 and defines a forward substantially straight edge 118 arranged to extend parallel to and indicate the intended direction of flight of a golf ball struck by a person using the apparatus. It is intended that the user assume a stance within ring 64 such that the edge 118 defines the intended direction of flight of the ball. The upper surface of the flange 116 may be provided with suitable indicia lines 120 which may be employed as a guide in positioning the golf ball on the ground for the particular stance assumed by the golfer and the particular club to be used. The upper surface of the frame 50 may also be provided with additional indicia markings 122 for indicating the correct angle of the club shaft during different portions of the back swing.

During the down stroke of the ideal golf swing, while the club head is approaching the ball, the club head should move outwardly from the golfer in a direction outwardly oblique to the intended direction of flight of the ball, and during and after impact of the club head with the ball the former should move in a substantially straight line along the direction of flight for a few inches. The edge 118 of the flange plate 116 serves the function of indicating the correct direction for proper follow through and may actually function to prevent the golfer from pulling a club head inwardly across the line of flight too early during the stroke.

During a correctly executed golf swing the left side of the golfers body should not be completely relaxed but should tend to exert a forward pull in the direction of the down swing. The golf practice apparatus of the present invention includes means to exert such a pull, thus inducing the correct down swing by providing mechanical means to exert that pull. The frame 50, preferably below the plate 116', carries a spooling reel (not shown) in a suitablehousing or support 124. The spooling reel has one end of a cable or other elongated flexible element 126 Wound thereon and suitable coil or spiral spring means are provided to bias the reel in a direction to further wind the cable 126 thereon. The cable 126 extends outwardly from the reel housing 124 tangentially into a groove 128 (see Fig. 2) in a downwardly depending arcuate flange 130 on the lower edge of rotatable annular'ring 64. The flange 130 and groove 128 extend a substantial distance around the ring 64 and the outermost end of the cable 126 (see Fig. 1) may be fixed or secured in any suitable manner to the ring 64. It will be apparent that the spring-tensioned cable 126 resists clockwise rotation of ring 64 and tends to cause counterclockwise rotation thereof. Thus, during use of the apparatus pivotal movements of the golfer during his back swing are slightly resisted by the tension in cable 126 and the latter tends to pull the left side of the golfer around during the down swing and power stroke.

Fig. 9 shows a suitable form of spooling reel and spring in housing 124 wherein a reel 200, keyed to a shaft 202 is arranged to have cable 126 wound thereon. The shaft 202' is journalled, at its ends, in the housing 124 and has one end of a spiral spring 204 fixed thereto at 206. The other end of the spring 204 is secured to the casing 124 at 208. Thus unwinding of cable 126 from reel 200, by rotation of ring 64, in one direction, is against the restraint of spring 294 and the spring therefor urges the ring 64 to rotate in the other direction and exert the pull previously described.

During the down swing of a properly executed golf stroke the hips and shoulders pause momentarily while the wrists are uncooked and the club head lashed through the ball position and then continue their pivotal movements into the follow through. The pause of the hips and shoulders and power stroke with the arms and wrists takes place at the time the golfers hips and shoulders are parallel to the intended direction of flight of the golf ball. To properly indicate when the power stroke is to be executed with the arms and wrists and to assist or enforce a momentary pause in the pivotal movement of the hips, the apparatus is provided with a mechanical device to effect that purpose.

' Referring now to Figs. 1, 5, and 7, the arm 46 by which frame 50 is attached to the collar 40 is provided with a signal bell 132 and a trigger and striker mechanism 134. The striker arm 134 is carried by a lever 136 pivoted to 7 a boss or bracket 138 on the side of member 46 by means of a pivot pin or shaft 140 fixed to the lever 136 intermediate its ends. The shaft 140 extends rotatably through the bracket 138 and is surrounded by a torsion spring 142. One end of torsion spring 142 is fixed to the arm 46, as at 144 (Fig. 7) and the other end thereof is fixed to the shaft 140. The torsion spring 142 is of substantial size whereby it offers substantial resistance to pivotal movements of the lever 136 and tends to hold that lever in the central position indicated in Fig. 7. The lever 136 extends upwardly above the level of the top edge of frame 50 and rotatable ring 64. It will be apparent that if the upper end of lever 136 is pushed sideways a slight amount and then suddenly released, it will vibrate through the central position shown and cause striker 134 to engage the bell 132 and give an audible signal.

A clamp member 146 having a clamping screw 148 is removably clamped to the ring 64 as shown in Fig. 1 and includes an outwardly extending arm 150 extending over the annular frame 50. A trigger 152 is pivoted to the arm 150 at 154 and extends outwardly sufficiently far so that its outer end will engage the lever 136 upon rotary movements of the ring 64. The arm 150 is further provided with a stop pin 156 in position to engage a side of the trigger 152 and limit pivotal movements thereof in a clockwise direction. A suitable spring 158 is arranged to bias the trigger 152 in a clockwise direction against the stop pin 156. Since the clamp 146 may be fixed at any desired position on the ring 64, it may be so set that the trigger 152 engages the upper end of lever 136 at about the time the golfers shoulders and hips approach parallelism with the intended direction of flight of the golf ball. During the down swing the trigger 152 approaches lever 136 and will engage the latter when the golfers hips have pivoted nearly to a straight ahead position. At that time the spring 142 offers considerable resistance to further pivotal movement and causes a momentary pause in that pivotal movement. However, the momentum of the golfers body is great enough to carry the hips through that position sufiiciently to cause trigger 152 to tilt lever 136 and pass thereover, thus ringing bell 132 and signalling the golfer that it is time to execute his power stroke by uncocking his wrists and lashing the club head through the ball position.

If desired, a further clamp 160 (Fig. 1) may be placed on ring 64 to engage lever 136 at the top of the back swing to indicate that the limit of a correct back swing has been reached.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the ease with which a golfer using a practice device of the present invention may stoop or bend forwardly. As clearly shown in that figure, the normally vertical trackway 76 and its associated structure may readily pivot forwardly about the axis of trunnions 70 and plate 98 may pivot forwardly relative to the carriage to permit the bending movement illustrated. In Fig. 6 portions of the apparatus have been omitted for clarity of illustration but the figure does show an accessory not illustrated in the other figures. A supply hopper 190 may be fixed by suitable clamp means 192 to the upstanding hollow post 16 for holding a supply of golf balls. The hopper may be provided with a metering device 194 of any well known construction, for releasing a single golf ball at a time from the hopper 190. Golf balls released by the mechanism 194 may be conducted by flexible tubing or the like 196 to a position near the front of the apparatus for easy access by a golfer using the practice device. Thus, after completing a practice stroke, the golfer may release a golf ball from the hopper 190 then lean forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 6 and tee the ball just released for the next succeeding practice shot. It is then only necessary for the golfer to straighten up and assume the desired stance by engaging his head with the head holder 36 and he is in position for another practice stroke.

The apparatus may be constructed of any suitable materials and many parts are preferably cast or fabricated from the lighter metals such as aluminum or alloys thereof. If desired, the trackway 76 may be lightened considerably by providing the same with openings 198.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that many modifications may be resorted to without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

I. In a golf practice device, a stationary generally horizontal frame having a vertical opening therethrough the periphery of which defines a circular guide, an annular rotary structure supported and guided by said circular guide for rotary movement about a generally upright fixed axis extending substantially centrally through said opening, an upstanding member on said rotary structure, said upstanding member supporting holding means to engage and hold the pelvic region of a person in substantial fixed relation thereto while said person stands in the central region of said opening, and means supporting said horizontal frame closely adjacent the ground, said upstanding member being pivoted to said rotary structure on a horizontal axis for swinging movement toward and from said fixed axis.

2. A golf practice device as defined in claim I wherein said'frame comprises an annular structure and wherein said rotary structure comprises an annular ring concentrically arranged within the inner periphery of said opening, there being cooperating roller and track means between said structure and ring for supporting said ring on said structure for rotation about their common axis.

3. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 wherein said holding means includes a carriage mounted on and guided for vertical movement along said upstanding member and wherein said means for engaging and holding said pelvic region is mounted on said carriage.

4. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 including means resiliently resisting rotation of said rotary structure about said axis in one direction and urging rotation thereof in the other direction.

5. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 including a reel rotatably mounted on said frame, an elongated flexible element having one end wound on said reel, spring means urging said reel to rotate in a direction to wind said element thereon, the other end of said element being attached to a portion of said rotary structure adjacent the edge of said opening, and means for guiding said element about the periphery of said opening upon rotation of said rotary structure on said frame.

6. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 including cooperating means on said rotary structure and frame, respectively, arranged to temporarily and releasably restrain rotation of said rotary structure at a predetermined position of rotation thereof with respect to said frame.

7. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 wherein said upstanding member comprises a generally vertical trackway pivoted to said rotary structure about a horizontal axis adjacent the plane of said frame and laterally offset from the axis of said opening, said last-named means comprising a carriage freely movable along said trackway, said means for holding said pelvic region being mounted on said carriage.

8. A golf practice device as defined in claim 1 wherein said upstanding member comprises a generally vertical trackway pivoted to said rotary structure about a horizontal axis adjacent the plane of said frame and laterally offset from the axis of said opening, said last-named means comprising a carriage freely movable along said trackway, said means for holding said pelvic region being mounted on said carriage and including a belt-like member for engaging said pelvic region, said belt-like member being pivoted to said carriage about an axis substantially parallel to said horizontal axis.

9. A golf practice device comprising, an annular frame, means for supporting said frame in a fixed generally horizontal position adjacent a generally horizontal supporting surface, an annular ring arranged concentrically within and adjacent the inner periphery of said annular frame, cooperating track and roller means on said frame and ring and arranged to support and guide said ring for free rotation in said annular frame about the central axis thereof, a rigid upstanding structure having horizontally spaced lower extremities pivoted to circumferentially spaced portions of said ring on a common horizontal axis extending along a chord of said annular ring, said upstanding structure including an elongated upwardly extending trackway, a carriage, roller means on said carriage engaging said trackway to guide said carriage therealong, means for preventing any movement of said carriage relative to said trackway other than movement of translation therealong, and holding means on said carriage for attachment to the pelvic region of a person standing on said supporting surface and within said ring, said lastnamed means being arranged to hold said pelvic region and carriage in substantially fixed relation to each other whereby to substantially restrain pivotal movements of said pelvic region to pivotal movements about said central axis.

10. A golf practice device as defined in claim 9 wherein said holding means is mounted on said carriage for limited pivotal movement thereon about an axis generally radial to said generally upright axis whereby to permit some tilting of the persons pelvic region to raise and lower said persons hips relative to each other.

11. In a golf practice device, a fixed frame, means rotatably mounted on said frame for rotation about a single upstanding axis and having means thereon for engaging and guiding the pelvic region of a person for pivotal movements about said single upstanding axis, means mounting said engaging and guiding means on said frame for free translational movement in a generally vertical direction and for tilting movement in a plane radial to said axis whereby said person may freely assume a squatting or stooping position while engaged by said means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,530,519 Remington Mar. 24, 1925 1,561,960 Ungar Nov. 17, 1925 1,604,118 Glancey Oct. 26, 1926 2,611,610 Hara Sept. 23, 1952 2,626,151 Jenks Jan. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,103 Great Britain 1910 

